Cookie Monster
by CastleBeckett130807
Summary: "I bet you don't even know there are different levels to your jealousy. Sometimes it's sexy, but tonight it's just downright adorable." A little fluffy Caskett one shot with the whole package. A what should have been their future. Banter, jealousy, family and more!


**_If there were more in the Kate-and-Richard-Castle clan. Just some future fluffy fluff. . . ._**

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Cookie Monster

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She sighed - exasperated to the utmost brim as she hopped out of the town car they had hired for tonight with a brooding Castle next her. He's close but not too close since he's apparently mad at her for heaven only knows what now.

He didn't voice out that he's angry at her, and he didn't have to. She knows. She've known the man for over a decade, been his wife for five. She knows his telltale signs - he hadn't said a word to her ever since they left the Gala and that's usually her cue to either start bombarding him with questions or remain content with the awkward silence. So, she opt for the latter tonight because it's been a long day, way beyond long for her to ponder what he's bitching about in the confines of his thick skull, behind all the luscious dark curls.

He's been moody ever since they left the NYPD Annual Gala and his attitude should be enough to put a damper on the buzz she had just managed to give herself by sipping on a particularly large glass of whiskey during their ride home, but it's not.

 _It shouldn't anyway._

She's not going to let his childishness ruin her evening. But like a petulant child, he had refused to even make a single glance of an eye contact with her and even have the audacity to pull out his BlackBerry to tap away at work emails - as if she's that obtuse in the head to not know that it's very _very_ well past one in the morning on a Saturday night, and whatever he's pretending to focus on couldn't wait.

He was so engrossed in acting busy that he didn't even notice she'd been drinking. But even amidst his sulking, he had instinctively held out a hand to help her out of the car, with his arm snaked around her waist to guide her up the curb, then up the flight of stairs, that suddenly is leaving her heaving for air.

She swear she didn't even drink that much tonight. Just half a glass of champagne at the dinner and a whiskey neat in the car.

When the black wooden door slid open, he motioned for her to get in first, his foot tapping away impatiently as he waited for her to register and put one foot in front of the other. She bit back a smile because even when he's cranky he could still be a little bit sweet.

Just a little.

But the tiny gesture was enough to bring back her playful mood from earlier this evening and in a light voice, she asked, "Castle, don't you think you're overreacting?

"Overreacting? Me?" he snapped as he followed her out of the foyer and into their living room. Their shoes clicked on the cool, white marble tile floors, echoing through the halls of their otherwise pin drop silent brownstone.

He took off his trench coat and tossed it on the couch. He very purposefully committed the cardinal sin just to entice her, he must add. He doesn't know why but he's wanting a reaction out of her because right now, she's just too calm. The opposite of what he's feeling, actually.

It must be the alcohol because she's just too buzzed to even care that he had just so carelessly flopped his coat on the couch, without a care in the world.

"In fact, I think I'm _underreacting_. Do you really think I enjoy being at an event where my wife is constantly being pawed at by other men while I'm forced to stand by and watch?"

She rolled her eyes and shrugged out of her bolero, reminding him just how low the cut of her burgundy backless dress is and watched in the mirror as his eyes narrowed, drinking in her glowing skin. She turned her face so he wouldn't catch her amusement, and laid both her jacket and purse on the table next to her.

"Cat got your tongue?" he sneered and he stepped closer to her. "You have nothing to say?"

She has lots to say but, unlikely him, she's wise to not turn this 'lovely' conversation into a brawl. So, she turned around quickly with a smile that had caught him off guard.

Her fingers danced playfully up his chest and with a seductive wink, she let out a little chuckle. "I do love it when you get jealous." her right hand reached out to cup his aflamed cheek. "I bet you don't even know there are different levels to your jealousy. Sometimes it's sexy, but tonight it's just downright adorable."

"Ad-" he stuttered, "I am most certainly not jealous." he hissed and jerked his head out of her touch. "And it most definitely is not 'adorable'. I just don't appreciate other men putting their hands on what belongs to me."

There's everything wrong with that sentence but she's going to be the bigger person here and just let it slide.

"Oh, so I belong to you now?" she laughed. She knows he means no malice. _Innocence_. She closed the distance he had created between them and threw her arms around him, trying to unwind his tense shoulders. "And for the record, you are so jealous."

His brows furrowed when he stared at her, studying her like she's on a dish under the scrutiny of a microscope. She's not too sure what he's looking for. But a moment later, she saw his eyes lighten up in the answer he's been looking for.

"I don't believe this, The Great Katherine Beckett is drunk." he scowled.

Gasping audibly, she clearly wasn't prepared for such turn of events. "Take that back!" she pouted, the burst of irritation flared quickly.

She doesn't get drunk. She just doesn't and that's an explanation on it's own. She's perfectly functional with a glass or two - hell, even an entire bottle - and she is no exception.

"Were you drunk at the party?" he asked incredulously.

It's the Annual Gala with a number of very very _very_ important people in the department at the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria and even though, there were alcohol served, they had agreed upon a glass of champagne and that's it because, after all with what happened last year, they're the last persons who ought to be drinking at a formal event.

"I was not drunk at the party. I may have gotten a little tipsy on whiskey on the ride home." she informed him coolly, then. "But I was very not drunk at the party."

She wrinkled her nose and haughtily scolded him, "And my name is Katherine _Castle_. As it has been for over five years now."

"Has it?"

"Why are you being such an ass, _Mister_ Castle?" she huffed, "You know very well I did nothing to encourage any of the men whom I danced with tonight." she rolled her eyes before stabbing him hard in the chest with her finger. "What did you want me to do, huh? Cause a scene? Decline their request by saying, _'Oh, no, I'm so sorry. I can't dance with you since my neandertal of a husband would prefer that I not dance with you or anyone else but him for that matter, because he gets so very irrationally jealous'_? It's the annual gala for Christ's sake, Rick. I can't have the same argument with you every year."

Maybe they should make this their annual thing. A ritual. A tradition, even. Truthfully, she should've seen this coming, she's a detective, the Captain, but, just like every year, she just doesn't.

"I'm sure you love that you can use that as a excuse. Did you notice how I refrained from dancing with anyone other than my wife this evening? Just admit it, you enjoyed it - the _attention_ , the dancing, all of it."

"When have I ever been adverse to _attention_?" she arched a brow.

He glared at her and started to pull away, again, but she reached out and grabbed a hold of his snowflake burgundy bow tie that matched her dress.

"I would have preferred to spend the evening dancing with my husband. But, come on, think about it, if you were me, would you have declined the Superintendent and First Deputy Chief of the NYPD if they'd ask you for a dance?" she added, "Oh, and to refresh your memory, they're incidentally my bosses."

"All very convenient excuses." he snorted.

"Excuses?"

"You heard me."

* * *

Aurora had been lying in bed for the past fifteen minutes, woken up from a dream about those yummy and crunchy cookies. Those delectable shortbread cookie sandwiches filled with jam and dipped in dark chocolate that Grandma had brought for all of them. But it's mostly all for her, really, because Mommy doesn't like sweets and Daddy just has one or two and the rest is hers.

She smacked her lips in anticipation, she can practically taste them on her tongue already. All crunchy and mushy when she bites them.

She wants one so badly right now. Right this instant. _Now! Now! Now!_ And so, she considered the wrath of her parents if she were to get caught sneaking out of bed and going downstairs to have one ... or maybe three of the cookies. But the idea of either one of her parents finding her, especially her Mommy, was enough for her to command herself to go back to sleep.

 _Go to bed, Aurora. Mommy and Daddy will catch you and then, no cookies at all._

She'll just ask for one tomorrow morning and distract Mommy so she'll turn around and she'll hurry to grab a handful.

But she still really wants one now.

Suddenly her eyes flew back open. She just remembered, tonight is the annual gala!

If she remembered correctly, her mother had told Grandma that they would be home late. _Oh, yay!!_ She squinted at the clock on her nightstand - it's just after half past one. Surely, they would be home by now, and tucked into their own bed because they would be so super tired by now.

So, she tossed and turned for a while, but finally the overwhelming need to have another cookie propelled her into action. She threw back the covers and scrambled out of bed, slipping on her fluffy lilac slippers and clutching her beloved penguin, Huggsy, in her arms. She had received Huggsy as a birthday present from Grandpa Jim when she turned four, which was last year, and she had slept with him every single night since.

Even though no one could see her, she tiptoed across her room - holding Huggsy's hand, of course, since they're on a mission - and opened her bedroom door carefully and slowly so as to not make any squeaky sounds. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found the hallway dark and quiet and slowly made her way to the staircase.

"Huggsy," she said in a loud whisper, "you have to be very very _very_ quiet, otherwise Daddy will find us, and then we'll be in trouble."

When Huggsy nodded in agreement, she placed her free hand on the banister, which was festively decorated with garlands and lights and velvet ribbons because Christmas is just two weeks away, and just as she was about to take her first step down the stairs, she heard her Daddy's voice.

With a gasp, she jumped back and hugged the door of the hallway. Her ear strained to listen to the muffled conversation.

"Richard Edgar Castle." her mother hissed.

Aurora's eyes grew as wide as saucers as she crept back out onto the landing to see what was going on. Her Daddy was about to get into _big_ trouble, she thought with a tinge of glee, because Mommy only ever calls someone by their full name when she's being very serious.

Like when she gets all serious at her too - _Aurora Lilly Castle!_

Maybe if Mommy is mad at Daddy, she could cheer him up by bringing him cookies and she could eat them too.

"Kate," he said hesitantly. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

"Oh, is that so? Then, enlighten me please. How exactly did you mean it?" she asked in a deceptively quiet tone.

He sighed. "You know what I meant."

"No, actually, I don't. But what I do know is that you can spend the rest of the evening in the comforts of the guest room figuring out exactly what you meant and how you meant it. Perhaps, a good night's sleep will snap you out of this ridiculous mood you're in." she huffed. "And if you know what's best for you, you'll stay out of _my_ bedroom."

Her mother dramatically turned on her heel and headed towards the staircase.

Again, Aurora jumped and scampered towards the safety of the darkened hallway. She should really just run straight to her room and go to bed. But curiosity is getting the best of her, and she just couldn't resist knowing what's going to happen next.

 _Is Daddy going to sleep in the guest bedroom again?_

Her Daddy wasn't just in _big_ trouble, he was in _very very very big_ trouble. She could only remember one time when Mommy had made Daddy sleep in the guest room.

That night, Daddy had snuck into her room and slept there with her instead. Aurora had been surprised that Mommy hadn't been angry when she'd found them the next morning, she had only smiled instead.

Dropping onto the floor and hugging Huggsy to her chest, she crawled across the hardwood floor and inched her way back to the railing to get a closer look.

* * *

"Kate." he reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, and spun her back to face him. Her hand landed on his chest and she glared at him. His left arm wrapped around her waist, while the fingers of his right splayed out on the small of her back.

"But I don't like the guest room, it's not nearly close enough to you." he murmured.

"Well, you should have thought about that before you opened your mouth and made thoughtless accusations."

He caressed her skin with feather light caresses and he pressed his body as close to hers as possible. It's intention, he knows how to manipulate her too. She's not the only one.

She tried to repress the flicker of desire she felt, but she couldn't stop herself from quivering at the contact.

"Let me make it up to you." he whispered, then nibbled on her ear.

"And how do you plan on doing that all the way from the guest room?" she challenged him. She's not about to forgive him so easily. He is going to have to work for her forgiveness because she has to put an end to this pointless tradition.

"By doing what I should have done earlier tonight." he answered and continued stroking the skin on her bare back, while he clasped her hand in his other.

He started moving his feet while he hummed a melody in her ear and she moved her feet with his as he danced her across the room.

She couldn't suppress the smile that was beaming across her face anymore and he twirled her expertly, then dropped her into a theatrical dip.

"Castle!" she squealed.

He drew her back into his arms and asked with a boyish grin, "Is it working?"

"Maybe." she said reluctantly, unable to stop the corners of her mouth from twitching upwards.

"I hate it when you dance with other men, Kate." he said, all serious now, and buried his head into the crook of her neck, and held her close.

"It's not like I want to dance with them."

"It's not _you_ who - there is no one I trust more in the world. I know you wouldn't, Kate. I trust you. It's just I hate watching and knowing what lecherous thoughts they're thinking. Their hands always travel far too low, and they practically salivate at having you so close. And I don't care if he's the fucking mayor or president or the Commissioner." he continued, the anger starting to simmer again. "I know for a fact there's only one thing in their mind."

He's being so melodramatic but she'll take this side of him because she just finds him so sexy when he's overprotective and jealous.

"Okay." she sighed, "I know it's awful but I love that even after all these years, you still get jealous." she admitted, her fingers kneaded the back of his neck.

"Besides, you know they're all just wondering how _you_ managed to get with someone like me."

"That's not funny." he said sternly and continued to dance, moving slowly across their makeshift dance floor.

She purred in contentment as his body shifted sinuously against hers, a tingle of anticipation running up her spine.

"Where's your sense of humor? Don't you find it the teeniest tiniest bit funny? Admit it. Who would have thought you'd be jealous because you couldn't dance with your own wife?"

"Me." he exclaimed.

But he surprised her by starting to hum in her ear again, instead of launching into another tirade. She joined in and hummed right along to their wedding song. As his hand headed lower and lower down her back, she rested her head on his chest and smiled.

"They have it all wrong, you know." he said a few minutes later when they still continue to dance, long after their humming had faded.

"Have what wrong?"

He stopped moving and cradled her face in his hands. He leaned over and dropped a light kiss on her lips before he said, "Every morning I wake up next to you and I wonder what _I_ did right that allowed me to end up with you."

"Charmer."

He pulled her against him and she rested her head back on his chest. His right hand found it's way to her left hand again and with their fingers intertwined, he rested them above his heart. And he started to hum another favourite tune of hers. She smiled when their bodies began to sway.

* * *

Aurora was positioned on her tummy, so she could look down on her parents from between the posts of the stairs. She switched Huggsy from her right side to her left when she realized the large velvet ribbon hanging from the garland was obstructing his view.

She watched as her parents danced slowly, she couldn't make out the song that her Daddy was humming, but her Mommy was smiling so beautifully.

With only the dim lights from their Christmas tree in the entryway, and from up above as she looked, her Mommy looks just like a princess dancing with her prince. Even though she knew her Mommy was the Queen, because Aurora, herself, is the princess, it sounded better that way.

Putting her arm around her bedtime penguin pal, she whispered into his ear, "It's like a fairy tale, Huggsy, and they will live happily ever after ... The End."

She turned to see him nodding his head in agreement. Her eyes found their way back to her parents, only to find them now staring at each other, barely moving.

With a loud yawn, she snuggled Huggsy closer, she wanted to keep watching her parents dance - it was like watching a movie - but her eyes slowly started to droop.

* * *

She has no idea how long they have been dancing, but she felt as though she could keep on dancing with Castle all night long. She treasured how they still managed to savour the small intimacies - how just the stroke of his hand on the smal of her back could still excite her or how the way his teeth graze her ear could still make her moan. But most importantly, she loved that she'll never ever get tired of holding his hand and how that simple gesture would still give her butterflies.

"I think it's time we continued this upstairs." he murmured into her ear. "There's a bed with our name on it, just begging for this dance to be continued in a horizontal position."

She pulled away and huffed, "I hope you haven't assumed that just because I've been dancing with you, I'm going to let you sleep in _my_ bed. That's a bit presumptuous, wouldn't you say?"

"Who said anything about sleep?" he leered at her.

"Is that the best you have to offer?" she pondered aloud.

"I could give you a massage? Hours of pleasure? Countless orgasms?" he wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"That's it?" she questioned and she cocked her head to the side.

He took her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles, "I will love you for the rest of my life."

She tilted her head and stared at him, pretending to deliberate before answering. "Well, I suppose I could settle for that."

He growled at her playfully and swept her off her feet. As they ascended up the staircase, she attempted to distract him by untying his bow tie and nuzzling his neck where goosebumps had just erupted by the brush of her fingers.

"Kate, if I drop you, it will be your fault."

"If you drop me," she said before pausing to bite him on his neck. "You will be seeking refuge in the guest room, instead of spending all night and morning in _our_ bed, naked with me."

"Then, I guess, I should try my best to not drop you." he concluded.

She didn't expect it when he stopped halfway up the staircase and pinned her against the wall. He shifted so that her long legs could moved to wrap around his waist, and he inched towards her lips with painstaking slowness.

Her hands, which had initially gripped his shoulders, were now speared in his thick hair as she tried to force his mouth closer to hers. Just when she was about to yank his hair in frustration, his lips finally brushed hers and his tongue slipped into her mouth, and he ravished her with kisses.

Desperate to feel his skin against hers, she tugged his dress shirt out from his pants, and ran her hands up his back. Her fingers dug into his skin as he kissed her even harder, thrusting his pelvis against hers. He pressed into her again slowly, causing her to moan loudly while he chuckled in satisfaction.

"Now, now, Kate, you have to keep it down, you don't want to wake up our children, now do you?" he taunted her before he trailed kisses against her neck.

"Then, it would be better of you to get us to _our_ bedroom quickly, otherwise you'll be the one explaining to our children what exactly you were doing to Mommy." she taunted back.

"God, I love you," he said with a smile.

"I love you too." she agreed. "Now, what was that about our bed?"

He pulled her against him, her legs still wrapped around his waist as they climbed up the staircase. When they were a step away from the top, he stopped and chuckled, "I don't believe this."

"What?"

With a sigh, he turned around so she could face forward. Her brow wrinkled in confusion for just a second until her eyes trailed downwards.

She let out a sigh that mirrored her husband's reaction just a moment before and smiled when her heart melted. With his help, she slowly slid down to a standing position.

It's a picture perfect sight before them. Huggsy and the brunette that's all there's. She wished she had her phone with her so, she could capture this adorable moment.

"What is _your_ daughter doing out here?" he asked.

" _Your_ little terror is sleeping, apparently." she answered wryly.

There Aurora is sprawled out on the floor, fast asleep, and using Huggsy as a pillow.

"How long do you think she's been here?" he whispered.

"Who knows."

"You don't think she was trying to sneak downstairs for more cookies, do you?" he stated, more so than asked. His tone implied that there could be no other possible answer.

She shrugged her shoulders. With Aurora, one can never tell. "Probably. I knew I should have hidden them until next week. She's such a Castle, once she sets her mind on something, she just _has to_ have it."

"There's nothing wrong with that." he pointed out. "That's how I got you to be mine, isn't it?"

"Well, if you still want me, I'm going to ask you put our little princess back into bed." she said, leaning over to gave him a lingering kiss on the mouth. "I'm going to slip into something more comfortable. Don't keep me waiting …"

She slinked down the darkened hallway to into their bedroom at the end of the hall. When she turned back to shut the door, she caught a glimpse of her husband gently lifting their daughter and Huggsy off the floor. She smiled as she slipped out of her dress.

A minute later, their bedroom door opened, then closed, followed by the sound of the lock firmly clicking into place. His arms wrapped around her from behind, the familiar feel of his lips skimped over the width of her shoulders - he never could manage to keep her waiting too long.

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 ** _Hey guys! This is my first Castle fanfic and I hope you enjoyed this little snippet. And thanks so much for reading. :)_**

 ** _What do you think?_ ;)**

 ** _Review!!_**


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